Exchange 2003 problem

[GeordieSteve]

Ok folks it's techy time again.

 

I'm currently implementing a new Exchange 2003 box to replace our existing Exchange 2003 box. I'm just migrating the mailboxes using the Exchange Task Wizard and while the mailbox its self moves successfully, it leaves a copy of the old mailbox on the old server and we can't remove it. Any idea how we can migrate the mailboxes across and remove it from the old box? I've tried exmerge btu that seems to require a user account on the new box to merge the mail across to.

 

Taa

[edd_t]

its standard for exchange to keep mailboxes for 30 days after you hit the delete button, they will then magicly disapear!

 

will have a think of a way round it

[Lucas]

Is the Active Directory on this old server also and if so are you keeping that or creating a new one on this new server?

[edd_t]

even if you RMC on the mailbox and select Exchange Tasks do you not get the option to delete the mailbox?

 

 

edit: just tried this myself on an old mailbox. and i think the 30 day thing still stands.

[GeordieSteve]

I'm running AD on the new box but not the old one. 30 days is fine if that's the case, cheers lads!

[Stonkin]

Definetly 30 days matey

[Branners]

you can force a purge on deleted mailboxes though, I cant remember where it is but its probably going to be on the properties of the mailbox store or similar.

 

I would certainly pick a few AD accounts at random and make sure they are not pointing to the old mailboxes, I saw Exchange migration do some odd things with mailboxes when we did the migration last year.

 

JB

[GeordieSteve]

I tried purging a while back but it tells me I'm unable to purge the accounts due to them being connected to another account. The old mailboxes are showing up as empty tho so that's good

[GeordieSteve]

I would certainly pick a few AD accounts at random and make sure they are not pointing to the old mailboxes

oh and yeah I've checked in outlook and it picks up the mailboxes from the new server automatically

[carl0s]

I think the 30-day thing is a user-set option, and it's not normally on by default.

It's on the Private Information Store properties in ESM. "Keep deleted item for xx days" (tick box, and text box to type in how many days), and also "Keep deleted mailboxes for xx days".

 

But it's not on by default. I've been here before though with a mailbox I set up for archiving all items sent/received by so the boss could snoop, and he didn't keep on top of the mailbox so it grew too large and the backup stopped working (later changed this to a public folder with a 14-day age-limit).

You can force it to delete though, I just can't remember how

I think after you have dis-associated it from an AD account, you can choose to purge.

Or it might be like the log files - they're kept until a backup has been done.

Google should help though.

[carl0s]

Exchange 2003s help says:

To delete a mailbox without deleting the associated user from Active Directory:

 

Start System Manager: On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.

 

Navigate to the mailbox store that contains the mailbox you want to delete.

 

Administrative Group or Organization

 

Servers

Storage Group

Mailbox Store

Mailboxes

In the details pane, right-click the mailbox you want, and then click Exchange Tasks.

In the Exchange Task wizard, click Next, click Delete Mailbox, click Next twice, and then click Finish.

Right-click Mailboxes, and then click Run Cleanup Agent.

 

 

Note At this time you can still recover the mailbox. After you delete a mailbox (in the next step of this procedure), you cannot recover it.

 

To delete the mailbox, in the details pane, right-click the mailbox, and then click Purge.

[Schtuv]

Like Carl0s said - Cleanup Agent, then right-click and purge.

 

Sometimes, if you're moving accounts between domains as well, replication delays can attach AD accounts back to migrated-from mailbox stores ... best to get rid of them post-haste where possible.